An atmospheric EHD thruster has been tested in a wind tunnel by the PoliMi laboratory group of the IPROP project, simulating low speed flight conditions and comparing the measurements with a theoretical model.
The results, on top of validating the theory, show an improvement of the produced thrust when the EHD thrusters operate in an external airstream, with a slight decrease of the thrust-to-power ratio. The test campaign also revealed that the maximum operating voltage increases with respect to still air conditions, leading to a further chance of creating a larger thrust.
A recent DOI n. 10.1088/1361-6463/ad7d9c has been assigned to the article “Wind Tunnel Testing and Performance Modeling of an Atmospheric Ion Thruster”
The full article will be shared as soon as the procedure will be finalised on the project website: https://www.iprop-project.eu/research/